I have yet to do my first rod and have enjoyed myself a lot just reading through the archives...This question just pop into my mind...
If I wanna refinish a blank...be it a solid fiiberglass rod or hollow rod blank...how do I go about supporting it so that it can turn on the rod dryer?
Most of the rod blanks I plan to build dont have a long back part that gets covered by the foam or cork handle...its just about 2-3 inches where its attached to a butt ferrule...and these will be used on my featherweight pistol grip handles...Do I lock the butt part on the chuck on the drying motor and support the other end by its tip? thanks in advance for any advice here...

If you use U-40 Perma-gloss you won't need to turn the blank. Use about three very thin coats. It dries really fast. I hang the rod by the butt from the trusses overhead in the shop. Use a continuous wipe coat in one sweep the entire length of the rod. Do a search on Perma-gloss and you'll get numerous methods for applying the stuff. You can normally re-coat in 1-1 1/2 hours, so it doesn't take long.

Hi Lynn I read the archives and most say what you suggested...using a continuous wipe...So this means one continuous wipe that is all around? like wrap the coffee filter/rubber gloves/sponge applicator all around the blank? Lets say If I paint on one side of the blank and then quickly turn it over and and paint on the other/under side...would permagloss self level out or would it have two seam marks where they meet?

Hi Ken,
You can apply the Permagloss the way you have mentioned but you will have to move pretty fast to not leave a seam as the Permagloss will dry quickly.
You may have read this in the archives but a pair of rubber gloves and a pair of nylons work well. You may want two people with steady hands to do this or anchor the rod blank at the butt.
Put the gloves on, wrap the nylons or part of them up in the palm of your hand, enough to coaver your fingers enough to surround the rod blank in the nylons when you wrap your hand around the blank. Pour the Permagloss in the nylons in your hand covering the whole palm so it coats the nylons well. Then make smooth even stroke the length of the rod blank sliding off the tip of the blank.
Before doing this on your blank/s you should really find some practice material and get to know the way the Permagloss dries and lays down.
This application of Permagloss is often used when there are numbers of blanks to be coated and with some practice can have many blanks coated in a short amount of time.
Just remeber to use a smooth motion the length of the blank or the Permagloss will build up in the areas that you slow and thin in the areas where you have moved faster.

As to supporting the blank a board with a hole drilled in it works well. Measure the diameter of your blank at the butt and make your hole that size so the rod blank is supported by the board when pulled snuggly into the hole.
With the rods I will be sending you this will be easy because of the taper of the blanks.





Tight wraps and lines,
Wylie



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2005 10:16AM by Wylie Wiggins.